


Reconstruction: Part 01

by Papallion



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Cannibalism, Cyborg Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison, Injury Recovery, Medical Procedures, Original Character(s), bloody76week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2020-12-16 17:41:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 13,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21040163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Papallion/pseuds/Papallion
Summary: Jack wakes up and can't stop screaming.  What happened to him?  How will he recover?





	1. Awakenings

**Author's Note:**

> once more, i benefit greatly from Passeridae's beta and edits  
you deserve all the things!
> 
> Bloody76 has been a great exercise for me, letting me explore something a little darker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack wakes up. And he'll keep waking up until he does it right.

Who was screaming?

  
  
  


\---------------------

  
  
  


When he woke up, someone was feeding him baby food. 

He didn’t know what it tasted like, but it felt like baby food.

He couldn’t move.

He couldn’t see.

He couldn’t hear.

He wondered who was screaming.

  
  
  


\---------------------

  
  
  


When he woke up, someone was feeding him baby food. 

He didn’t know what it tasted like, but it felt like baby food.

He couldn’t move.

He couldn’t see.

He could hear soft Spanish, someone asking him to swallow, so he did.

He wondered why she was crying.

  
  
  


\---------------------

  
  
  


When he woke up, someone was crying.

He couldn’t move. 

He couldn’t see. 

He could only hear her crying.

  
  
  


\---------------------

  
  
  


When he woke up, someone was feeding him baby food. 

He didn’t know what it tasted like, but it felt like baby food.

He couldn’t move.

He couldn’t see.

He could hear gentle Arabic, someone asking him to swallow, so he did. 

He felt a soft hand pet his cheek and knew he was being cared for.

  
  
  


\---------------------

  
  
  


In his dreams he remembered. In his dreams he could feel the knife, he could feel their teeth, he could feel the static where his left leg once was.

He liked it better when he didn’t remember.

He didn’t scream when he couldn’t remember.

  
  
  


\---------------------

  
  
  


When he woke up, she was feeding him baby food. 

“Enough... carrots,” he rasped out, and her voice cried out happily.

He couldn’t move.

He couldn’t see.

He could only hear her crying, but her tears were different.

Her arms around his chest made his ribs burn, but she was so happy he didn’t say anything.

  
  
  


\---------------------

  
  
  


When he woke up, she was feeding him baby food. 

“OK, I’ve checked there. Twice. There’s nothing!” a voice he was unfamiliar with snapped. At first he thought it was Lena, but her voice was deeper and the British accent not as strong.

“There’s got to be something, inventory says so!” she says, and her voice was familiar. “I can’t be wrong about this, Chillona! We need those actuators!”

He can feel her dab something from his chin.

“Don’t worry, Tío Gruñón, we’ll get you fixed up.”

He couldn’t move.

He couldn’t see.

He could nod, though.

  
  
  


\---------------------

  
  
  


When he woke up, Olivia was feeding him baby food. 

“What did I say about the carrots?” he rasped.

“Hey, hey, don’t be picky,” she snapped back, but he could hear the relief in her voice. “Things are tight and this has all the nutrients you need right now.”

“So does steak.”

There was nothing for a few moments, then he heard her breathing change.

He was suddenly concerned. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

“Are you awake? Are you really awake?” Olivia asked, and Jack didn’t know what to say.

“I... feel awake?” he said cautiously, and suddenly her arms were around his chest.

It made everything burn again, but he said nothing. He tucked his chin over her head, the only movement he could make. 

It wasn’t a hug but it would do.

After she was done crying he felt her move. “I’ll be back in a moment, OK?”

Jack could hear various sounds, possibly stirring and a spoon smacked against the side of a bowl, then a blender. Olivia returned and held something to his lips. “I had some pepper steak for dinner, and I blended a little steak sauce in there. How is it?”

Jack shrugged as best as he could. “It’ll do. It doesn’t taste like carrots any more.”

It was awful, but he could hear Olivia’s happiness, so he pretended to like it.

  
  
  


\---------------------

  
  
  


At night he could dream, and he wished he wouldn’t.

Hands. Where were his hands?

His nose itched.

His chest felt wet.

Was he screaming?

He was certain he was screaming.

  
  
  


\---------------------

  
  


When he woke up, someone was talking. They sounded far away, as if they were on a speaker phone. Someone else was washing his face, then he tasted something sweet in his mouth.

“OK, so, get this, I finally found those optical relays you’ve been after,” the not-Lena British voice said. It rattled in his head, and he knew he knew that voice.

“I thought you needed actuators?” Jack croaked out.

“What? No, that was last Mon- hey, who’s that? Is that him?” she asked. “He’s awake again?”

Again?

Olivia’s voice was calm, but Jack could hear the excitement in it. “He’s been waking up, bit by bit! The therapy’s working!”

Jack had vague memories of conversations. “This... I’m not right, am I?”

“Jack?” Olivia asked quietly. “What do you remember?”

“I... would... I..” he stammered. “No.”

“That’s OK,” Olivia said quietly. “It was bad. Here, open up.”

He could feel a spoon at his lips. Jack nodded and ate his baby food. 

It wasn’t carrots this time.

  
  
  


\---------------------

  
  
  


_ ‘worst case ive ever seen,’ _ a new voice sighed. They were speaking Spanish, but Jack couldn’t place the accent. The accent smooth and clear, but the voice reminded Jack of crushed leaves, quiet and raspy, maybe a four-pack-a-day voice.

_ ‘i wish youd let bring someone else on. i know a gal-’ _

_ “No, we can’t!” _ Olivia said firmly. Her Spanish was familiar to Jack, fast and strong. _ “You can do this!” _

_ ‘gonna be honest, some of this is not my specialty. let me bring in a friend. well change the names to protect the innocent. shes good, trust me.’ _If the voice was insulted, it was hard to tell, as husky as it was.

_ “No, I hurt him enough.” _ Her voice was tense. _ “I don’t trust many people to help keep him safe.” _

“You didn’t do this,” Jack said as loud as he could. “Those... cannibals.”

He wasn’t sure when he stopped screaming.

  
  
  


\---------------------

  
  
  


“OK, now, let’s see, we can, we can, let’s see, let’s see! We can apply a new relay bridge here,” a new voice was saying. “It will improve motor functions.” The voice was higher than Olivia’s and held a Chinese accent.

‘but if you put a relay there it will overload the neuron cluster.’

“What’s going on?” Jack demanded. “Who are you people?”

“Oh, he’s up again!” the Chinese voice chimed happily. “He’s up!”

‘will you remember when we tell you?’ the hushed voice asked. ‘what do you remember?’

“I went after Reaper. The desert. He did something to me.” Jack still couldn’t see, and he still couldn’t move. “It... the nanites.”

‘you have acute nanite poisoning. Reaper infected you with a rogue strain that started to devour your soft tissue and organs. he then wandered off and you followed.’

“I followed,” Jack said quietly. “And I found a small camp.” 

“Please don’t scream,” the Chinese voice asked, sharp with concern. “It’s all you’ve done, please don’t scream.”

Jack remembered.

He kept himself from screaming, but it was a near thing.

  
  
  


\---------------------


	2. Loss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened?

The wraith fled across the cracked earth, and the old soldier followed. They were in the middle of a Mexican desert, somewhere in the west. The place was awe inspiring in its isolation, yet surprisingly full of life. The old soldier had seen many different types of plants, buzzing clouds of insects, lizards, and even a few birds overhead. It was hot, but the lack of humidity made it quite comfortable. His visor kept the sun out of his eyes, and he was glad he had wrapped a bandanna around his head. Comfortable or not, it was still bright and hot out. He sipped from the bottle at his hip and carried on.

Some time before sunset they had crossed a river, and after a long walk were now in some sort of canyon. Rocks rose high above and chasms sunk deep around them, but Reaper didn’t turn.

He kept moving forward in a straight line, never turning save to move around obstacles. 

Sometimes Reaper would teleport and Jack would have to dash to catch up to him. Each teleport got shorter and shorter, though, and each sprint drained more energy out of the old soldier. 

They kept walking.

Eventually the old soldier caught up, gripped Reaper by the shoulder, and hauled him around. 

Reaper lunged forward weakly, but Soldier:76 was able to shove him backwards. He then gripped Reaper’s mask, and after a brief struggle, ripped it off. 

He instantly wished he hadn’t.

There wasn’t much left of Gabriel Reyes’ face, and what was left was a vague mockery of the man he once was. Deep, empty eyes, a grin that showed through his split face, his once proud nose mostly gone.

The wraith angrily lunged and Soldier:76 had to shove him away, but Reaper’s claws sunk into his chest. There was burning, and the soldier had to crack his fist against Reaper’s head before he would let go.

Reaper gave a hissing shriek and faded into smoke. 

Soldier:76 could fight claws, he could fight shotguns, he could fight people.

He couldn’t fight the mist that engulfed him and filled his lungs.

In his struggle to escape he slapped his shoulders and arms, activating a biotic canister. 

Reaper shrieked again and fled from the golden light, and Soldier:76 collapsed, lungs resisting air and heart refusing to pump. He hit the ground and the shock broke his lungs open. He swallowed air. 

It didn’t feel like it reached his lungs, though.

After the canister clicked off, the old man lay there, gasping, and finally felt like he was almost alive again. He stood, gathered it and his rifle, and kept walking.

It was almost sunset the next day when he saw the trucks. He wobbled up to them.

Several men were hanging out, sitting in the meager shade the vehicles provided. “Well, now, boys, what have we here?” one had leered, and Soldier:76 was instantly on edge. The voices were rough had a hungry tone. They reeked of cheap booze and marijuana. 

He didn’t know what he looked like, but he felt like beef jerky. His voice was dry and his lips cracked when he spoke. “Just need some water, if you can spare any.” Soldier:76 didn’t want their water, but he needed it.

“We can help you out,” another said, and all eight slowly surrounded him.

Soldier:76 realized just how tired he was. His head hurt. His lungs couldn’t hold breath. His eyes felt gritty. His joints ached. His shoulder protested when he pulled his plasma rifle from its magnetic holder on his back.

“Fine, let’s do this,” he grumbled, and blocked a blow to the side.

It wasn’t until someone got a knife into the back of his left leg that he realized just how badly his condition had deteriorated.

It wasn’t until one took a bite from his right wrist he realized just how tired he was.

It wasn’t until his eye-sight flickered from a blow to the head that he realized just how screwed he was.

It wasn’t until he smelled the blood that he realized how fucked he was.

He didn’t scream.

Not right away.

The screaming came much later.


	3. Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's nice to know what happened, isn't it, Jack?

“I did this to you,” Olivia said softly as she washed his neck. She had finally found a soap he liked, gentle, with just a touch of lavender. It irritated Olivia he liked the dollar store soap over the more expensive ones she had been buying for his sponge baths. She wanted him to feel pampered. “This is my fault! I didn’t research enough, I didn’t do my job!”

“You didn’t know cannibals would be in the desert,” Jack said softly. “Honestly, I thought I had sunstroke.” He tilted his head so she could get the back of his neck. 

“I mean I did THIS to you!” she insisted. “I shouldn’t have brought you back!” she said, her voice almost cracking. “But I couldn’t just leave you out there! I was so selfish! I called someone, and they brought you here, and I knew it was my fault! I didn’t give you enough information!”

“It’s not your fault,” he said quietly. “I would have gone anyway.”

She tilted his head back then put the washcloth away. “I swear to GOD I shaved you just this morning, how are you already scruffy?” she hissed, eyes bright with unshed tears. It was time to focus on something else.

“Secret Morrison family talent,” he said firmly in the tone of someone determined not to divulge secret information. “Who are the others? Dry voice, and not-Lena, and Miss China?”

“Well,” Olivia said as she pulled out a soft cloth to dry him, “the one who sounds like a horror movie is Xombi. They’re a neurosurgeon, one of the best. Without them, you would be brain-dead 24/7 instead of nine to five. She did some, well, it worked, obviously, but it's not exactly legal. She did work on your brain, using an omnic for remote access.” She made sure his face was dry and tilted his head forward to kiss his forehead. “The Chinese woman is Ruby Wu, a cyberneticist. One of the best. She’s already got the plans for your new parts worked out. She and Xombi are so excited to work together!”

“They sound expensive. I’ve got some hidden accounts if you want them,” he offered. “Not sure how much they have left, but they’ve kept me afloat so far.”

“No, this is on me. We’re trading favor for favor, and so far it’s turned out to be win-win-win all around.” Olivia pulled out the clippers and gave a test buzz. “OK, I’m going to get your chin first.”

He tilted his head and let Olivia get to work. The clippers were exceptionally quiet and he could still hear her easily.

“But, we all get something out of this. I get you back and some new programming to work with, Xombi gets a neurological experiment, and Ruby gets to jump off of Xombi’s research. We’re making medical breakthroughs here.”

“Just not ethical ones?” Jack asked, picking up on Olivia’s hesitant tone of voice.

“Well, they had consent.” Olivia gently tilted his head forward and attacked the back of his skull. She had been keeping his head shaved ever since Xombi had done remote brain surgery.

“They, Xombi, I mean, gender neutral and all that, they took an omnic neural net and placed it over your own. Your brain had holes in it, Tío Gruñón, it looked pretty gross. And I love gross things.”

He smirked as she planted a kiss to his temple. Olivia was a hands-on friend; she linked arms while walking, she touched arms while talking, she was incapable of keeping her hands to herself. “So they filled in the blanks?” he asked.

“Yeah, like a scaffolding. Xombi flooded you with your own spinal cord fluid we got cloned in the big vat, stem cells! We made stem cells. Cloned them. They opened up your head and plugged in the net, remote access with an omnic named Barber, then your brain rebuilt itself around it.”

“That sounds interesting,” he mused. “What makes it unethical? What happens to the omnic?”

“She was hurt pretty bad, she was a monk, of all things.” Olivia rubbed his head down with a soft cloth and rubbed his temples. “This feel good?”

“Best thing I’ve felt in a while,” he said and leaned back, quietly enjoying the massage. “But did she die? The omnic?”

“She was attacked by some punks looking to sell her parts. Her major brain functions were damaged, but her, lesser, I suppose, it’s called a lizard brain, isn’t it, when it’s a brain? Her automatic sub routines. It survived. Her companion said Xombi could use her to heal you, so they, Xombi, they shipped her here and remote installed her.”

“What’s her name?” Jack asked quietly.

“Buddleia,” Olivia answered.

Jack nodded. “A fitting name. Buddleia represents rebirth, resurrection and new beginnings.” When did he learn that? He knew basic flower language thanks to his sister Elizabeth, but he’d never heard of a buddleia. They sat silently for a moment, and he turned to Olivia’s general direction. “What about the lady who got the actuators and optical relays?” he asked.

“You’re still sharp,” Olivia hissed happily over the soft hum of the hair trimmer. “That’s Mouse. Conchilla. She’s a black market expert.”

Jack blinked what was left of his eyelids, nodding to himself. “I’ve used her services before. Sharp cookie, that one. You’ve assembled quite the team,” Jack mused and tilted his head for her. “How long has it been? Since I got here?”

“Almost three months,” Olivia admitted after a moment. “Gonna get your chin, now.”

“Three months of me screaming and shitting and taking up all your time,” he mused, and Olivia moved to his chin and neck. It felt better when his hair was short.

“Worth it,” she finally admitted, “to get you back. Besides, you had no guts for about two months so the machines keeping you alive took care of the messy stuff.”

“Ah. Good to know I haven’t been a total burden,” he said softly.

“I missed you, Tío Gruñón,” she admitted. “So much.”

“Thank you for babysitting me. I'll try not to wake you up screaming tonight.”


	4. Mouse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet Mouse.

**** “OK, we’ve got peaches and cream or berry medley,” Mouse said as she sat down near him. Mouse never sat as close as Olivia did, and Jack found himself missing her presence. 

Olivia had been busy working on some computer program, he wasn’t sure what or what for. She had told him about it, she told him almost everything she was doing, but the medical and technical terminology bounced off his brain and he understood very little. He knew it shouldn’t have made him feel stupid, since he didn’t know much about such medical procedures, but he hated not knowing something so important. 

Mouse had made a few batches of baby food for him while Olivia was busy, and had helped her give him his sponge bath earlier. 

Jack wasn’t too sure why she was hanging around; Mouse was a black market specialist, and she made good money stealing parts and supplies and arranging sales for people. Her job locating parts for him was done, now, as far as he knew. Olivia was waiting for two people to show up, and a delivery of parts, so, maybe Mouse was staying until the deliveries were made, just to be sure? At any rate, she was nice enough and he and Olivia enjoyed her company.

“Berry. We had peach for breakfast.” 

Mouse counted every cent, kept records of favors, and could be short tempered, but she had always finished the job. He had used her services in the past to find visor and rifle parts, but that was business. 

Now, however, she was softer. She kept her voice quiet, didn’t overfill the spoon, and she tipped it just right. She waited until he was ready to take it, and let him tilt his head.

“This isn’t your first time feeding someone,” he mentioned when they were almost done. “Or caring for an old man, is it?”

“Yeah, had to take care of Pappoús,” she admitted. “Granted, he just had Alzhimers and not nanite poisoning. Olivia wouldn’t even let us in the room without a bio-hazard suit the first month.” She held the spoon to his lips. “Xombi said you should be good for more solid food soon, any requests?”

“Steak,” he answered quickly. Now that he heard Mouse speaking more frequently and he knew she had a pappoús, he was finally able to place her accent. It was a combination of British and Greek, of all things. He almost remembered her face, her olive skin and prominent nose and short hair that was only black in the shadows. She had a lean, hungry look to her, one that her current voice didn’t have.

“I think she had, like, mashed potatoes, chicken soup, you know, easy stuff to eat?” she said quietly. “Maybe you can handle tartare or something? Let me call he-them. Let me call them.” She was honestly trying to use gender neutral pronouns, and she only screwed up a few times.

Jack could hear the startup chime of Chitchat, and then a zombie groan that indicated Xombi was online.

“Jack’s up and wants steak,” Mouse said hopefully.

‘no,’ Xombi’s creaking-door voice came from a speaker. ‘i sent a diet.’

“Does it include steak?” Jack asked.

‘no.’

“You’re cruel,” Jack sighed, and tilted his head towards their voice. Maybe their speaker had a camera and they could see the puppy dog eyes he was trying to send them.

“Is their camera watching me?” he asked. “Make sure the camera is above me, looking down slightly. Make me look pitiful.” He knew that wasn’t hard right now.

“Are you... trying to GUILT TRIP Xombi?” Mouse asked, slightly amazed She didn't think it would work, but she did it anyways.

‘you dont have eyes, puppy eyes wont work!’ they insisted, and Jack tilted his head a little and tried to stick his bottom lip out.

“It’s OK, I understand.” He tilted his head down as his voice fell.

‘good. Mouse, theres some ful in the fridge. get that in him.’

“How can you be immune to such a sad old man?” Olivia called from across the room. “Let Tío Gruñón have steak!”

Jack raised his head. “Ful? Like the beans?”

“Yeah, she keeps bringing it over,” Mouse sighed. “I am SO done with ful and pitas.”

“Who?” Jack asked carefully. Mouse had said ‘wouldn’t let US in’ earlier. Was Xombi or the cyberneticist here earlier?

“Here, two bites left. Some merc Somba hired to get you out of the desert.” After the last bite of berry medley, Mouse rinsed the bowl out and tucked it in the dishwasher. “You want the ful now or later?”

“Later, thanks.” He leaned back and adjusted his breathing. Lately nothing had hurt as much, and he supposed having the soft tissues regrown in his body helped with that. Breathing was easier, his head felt lighter, and he felt less twitchy.

“Hey, you want an audio book or anything?” Mouse suddenly asked. “You can’t watch TV, Sombra’s busy, and I need to do a supply run for a client, but I can leave you my iPod and library.”

“I’d like that,” he said, honestly amazed she wasn’t charging him. “What’s good to read?”

“Um, let me see, got a few romance novels, the American Girl series, Misty Rose, she’s a magical girl in a magical school, the history of potatoes, some movie adaptations, I don’t get to watch a lot of movies so I listen to them on long drives,” she offered.

“Give the man the potato history,” Olivia said right as Jack asked for the potato history.

“Right. I’ve got this brace thing I’m putting in front of you, swipe up and down for volume, left and right to go back and forward. Double tap for pause. You know, with your nose?” 

Jack could hear her moving, and then some headphones were placed around his neck. He leaned forward and adjusted his head. “Move it down so I can use my chin?” he asked, and Mouse complied. “Thank you.”

Mouse excused herself and Jack started the audio book.


	5. Chapter 5

“OK, we got the final parts! Well, tools! But that’s like parts,” Mouse said triumphantly as she backed into the room, using her butt to hold the door open. She let Olivia take the box of groceries from atop the autoclave, then put the autoclave on the counter. “We can start once Xombi and Ruby get here!” She rotated her shoulders, working the kinks out. Maybe she would start making two or more trips to save her aching back, but today was not that day.

It had been almost two weeks since his full awakening, and Jack was twitching to move. Olivia and Mouse were good about trying to let him twist and work his torso, moving what was left of his arms and thighs, but it still wasn’t enough. He needed to move!

Olivia cheerfully bubbled in Spanish as she admired the latest boxes. “Oh, Tío Gruñón, look, which you can’t, you haven’t got eyes, but we’ve got you legs! They’re not very attractive, though,” she mused as she examined the foot and wriggled the toe section. “They’re this orange military surplus, kinda beefy, the calves are huge. Just like yours! Were, I mean. But the color! Oh, it’s so ugly!” She muttered at the legs in Spanish, insulted by their presence. 

Jack could make out ‘burning orange’ and ‘a swine’s ass.’ “It’s fine, I can’t see them,” he offered. “When can we get started?”

“I’ll ask Ruby! We did a lot of the brain surgery with Barber, but Ruby wants to be here in person for the installation of the cybernetic hookups.” Olivia started typing on a small, green keyboard. Jack couldn’t see it, but he knew her desk was a mess of holo-screens, mice, keyboards, monitors, web cameras, random tablets and a few plush animals.

When the computers failed her she would wave a plushie around, insisting the computers like certain animals for certain problems. Once, after hours of connection issues, she took the little red dinosaur and tucked it away in the closet. “When you start working, you can have Diablo Dinosaurio back!”

Olivia always told him what things looked like, what was on her desk, what clothes she was wearing, what poster she had just put up in the room.

It made Jack more comfortable and gave her some control over the situation, so she kept it up.

“She says she can leave tonight! She’s been looking forward to installing the anchor plates and seeing how the nanite poisoning affects your cybernetics!” Olivia’s voice dimmed a little. “I hope it doesn’t affect too much.”

“Ollie, c’mere,” Jack said quietly, and Olivia walked over to him. He leaned forward. “Here, put your head under my chin.” 

Olivia wrapped her arms around his torso and he tucked his chin over her head.

“It’ll be OK,” he grunted in his broken voice. “You’ve done so much already.”

“Mouse, get in on this hug,” Olivia ordered, and Jack felt a second form wrap around him. “We’ll get you fixed up, honest!”

“I believe you,” Jack said and got Mouse’s head under his chin. “Thank you. Both of you.”

  
  
  


\---------------------

  
  
  


Jack shrugged his shoulders as best he could when he woke up. He could hear someone moving around, pacing across the room, and he looked in their general direction. “Ollie? Is that you?”

“Sorry,” she said quietly. “Didn’t mean to wake you. Ruby and Xombi will be here soon, and I’m so excited, I just, oh, Tío Gruñón, we’re going to get you up and walking!” She sat next to him and fussed with his blanket.

“I don’t want you feeling guilty,” he said sharply. “This isn’t your fault.”

“I’m still going to fix it!” she insisted. “I need to fix it.”

He felt her lay down next to him, and he wiggled a little to give her some room.

He didn’t hear her crying, but he could feel the dampness from her tears.


	6. Xombi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get to meet Xombi, the neurologist.

The door opened and Jack looked over. There was a strange clomp-tapping noise and a scrape, then a familiar voice. Well, a distinctive one at any rate. ‘im here.’ Xombi’s voice sounded just as bored and hushed in real life as it did over the speakers. ‘i have things to bring up. but theres a catch.’ The clomp-tap continued.

“I’ll get right on that!” Mouse said quickly, and Jack heard the strange noise get closer. 

“Thank you for coming,” Olivia said in an awed voice. “You’re so tall!”

“Ollie, you aren’t even five and a half feet, everyone is tall,” Jack said from his cot.

“You’re shorter than me now, old man!” she insisted, and Jack laughed.

“I won’t be once my legs are on.” 

“That’s it, Xombi, we’re not giving him calves Just stick the feet to his knees.”

Jack laughed harder; it felt good to laugh now that his ribs didn’t feel like they were falling apart. His lungs filled and he could feel the air circulating, like when he did tai chi in the past.

‘well, that would simplify things,’ Xombi said, and Jack could hear the tilt in their strained voice. ‘ok, let me see you up close and personal.’

Jack tilted his head to follow the strange noise. 

‘first off, the bad news. the nanite poisoning killed your eyes and optic nerves. we cant put in cybernetic eyes until we get the new biotic parts grown, but the samples were compromised by nanites and failed.’

“What’s that mean?” Jack asked, and followed the noise. “And what’s that sound?”

‘my crutches and braces. my legs dont work like they used to before,’ Xombi said dryly. ‘it means we cant give you eyes right now.’

“BUT!” Olivia said from the side, “we can still hook up an external device to the parts that remain and bypass eyes entirely!” Her voice was excited and bright.

“Like a visor?” Jack asked, and he could hear chipper hums that indicated Olivia was nodding happily. “But will I get eyes later?” Somehow, the idea of not having eyes scared him. He would still see with a visor, but to not have eyes? He didn’t like that idea at all.

‘once were able to get a sample without nanites, we can clone your eyes and put them back in.’ Xombi moved again, and Jack followed the sound again. ‘at least you have glass eyes now, so your sockets dont... collapse. Olivia. what is this.’

“OOOH, those,” Olivia said in a slightly guilty tone. “I wanted him to have, you know, some fun! So, those?”

“What did you do to me, Ollie?” Jack asked carefully.

“They’re, you know, novelty. Cute. Very fetching.” Olivia pet his shoulder softly. “One says ‘fuck’ and the other ‘you.’ You know, for fun!”

“Really?” Jack asked, amused. “My eyes are swearing at people?”

“Oh, it’s not like you can see them!” she insisted and slapped his shoulder softly. “Ruby said she’d be here in a few hours, but we can do your initial check and see how your brain is doing!”

“After I get my visor, I keep the eyes, right?” Jack asked. “So my sockets don’t collapse?”

‘you want to keep the ‘fuck you’ eyes, dont you?’ Xombi asked with a wry twist to their raspy voice. 

“Well, wouldn’t you?” he asked, and heard their huffing laugh.

‘yeah, i suppose i would.’ Xombi moved a little. ‘mine are biotic, regrown from my own stem cells, like yours will be. i made them black, of course. if youre going to have biotic eyes, then you might as well have fun with it.’

Jack could hear some movement from the door, and then Mouse swearing.

“This is heavy!” Mouse lamented. “I couldn’t get the hovers on, the buttons are in Spanish!”

‘sorry about that. im Peruvian.’ 

“They speak Spanish in Peru? I thought, you know, Incan, or, Peruvian, or something,” Mouse said, her voice trailing off as she realized how she sounded. “Makes sense, Spanish Conquistadors and all that.”

Jack could hear more scuffling, hovers activating, then equipment being moved. He turned his head to follow their voices, and heard Xombi pointing out buttons.

‘hover on, hover off, and this one lifts to get up the steps.’ 

“OK, got it, going for box two.” Mouse’s footsteps vanished.

“So, Tío Gruñón, are you ready?” Olivia asked cautiously. “I might not have been telling you everything,” she said as Xombi positioned themselves behind his head.

“Does my head split open like a cyborg in a sci-fi movie?” Jack asked, trying to keep his voice and facial expression light.

‘yep.’ 

He wasn’t sure what to do with this new information. So. His head now opened up. He supposed he should have realized this before, since Olivia mentioned brain surgery to remove the nanites from his soft brain tissues. He was trying to focus on keeping his heart from falling into his guts when he could felt Xombi move behind him, and heard a chair or stool moving into place. “So, why are you Xombi?” he asked, mainly to distract himself.

‘because im dead and i do things to brains.’ They gently ran their fingers along his head, and Jack shuddered.

“Dead dead or dead for tax reasons?” he asked. He got their huffing laugh in response.

‘yes. now, your head opens more like a car hood. its going to give me access to your brain so i can examine it. weve got a sterilization field set up, so you may feel stinging. are you ready?’

Jack gave a nod and settled back. “You’ve got gloves on, right?”

‘yeah, dont want slime on my fingers. hush.’

Jack felt like someone was pulling his hair, and that was it. “Are you in there?” he asked after a moment. Someone was touching his brain, and that was just weird.

‘i said hush. your jaw moves you entire head. brains have no pain receptors.’ 

He didn’t feel anything, so maybe they were right. Jack heard them taking audio notes, noting neural clusters, veins, tissue regrowth and then words with multiple syllables. He only recognized a few of them.

‘stop that. youre clenching your jaw.’ 

“Sorry,” Jack said the best he could without moving his jaw. “You’ve got your fingers in there. It makes a man nervous.”

“That’s what she said!” Olivia and Mouse chanted at the same time, and Jack heard a high five.

He tried not to laugh.

‘good news is youre healing on schedule. everything looks good in there.’

“And the bad news?” Olivia asked.

‘some parts are badly degraded. eyes are delicate. memory looks iffy. we might need to mess with hormone pumps. can you smell and taste?’

“Actually, yeah, I can smell,” Jack said. “I can feel when Olivia touches me. I can feel my guts moving. I was aware of my breathing earlier.” He steadied his breathing. “So, eyes?”

‘it will just take time. your uncontaminated stem cells have done wonders for you, your genetic modifications are kicking in as planned, but some of the more delicate parts will take some more time. and us plugging a visor in will slow that down.’

“I need to see,” Jack said a little firmer than he meant to.

‘trust me, i get it.’ Xombi put their hands on his head, and Jack felt warmer. ‘ok, youre closed up. so, once Ruby gets here, well put in your anchor plates, then visor connections. then the limbs. well have to turn off the visor connections while putting the limbs on. too much stress can damage them.’

“I can live with that.” Jack nodded and listened to Xombi moving through the room. “Why not just do the visor last?”

‘easier on the body to do this all at once. just to get it over with.’

Jack nodded. “Thanks, by the way.”

‘this is interesting, and we made a few major breakthroughs on several levels.’ There was the sound of running water. ‘besides, the world screwed you over. the same people who screwed over myself and my dearest friend. i want in on your revenge.’

“It’s why I’m here,” Mouse said with sudden fury, and her voice was suddenly hard and sharp, just as Jack remembered. “Talon ruined my family! My mama, she didn’t deserve to be ruined. But Talon set her up to take a fall, and accused her of terrorist activities. My papa lost his medical license, my brother his teacher’s license, I never even got my engineering degree! All because Talon had to have a fall guy!”

Xombi’s stoic voice had a hint of anger to it. ‘Talon ruined me, destroyed my best friend. were with you on taking them down.’

“And Ruby?” Jack asked cautiously.

“Talon murdered her husband when she wouldn’t join them,” Mouse said bitterly. “All they do is hurt people!”

“We’ll fix it,” Jack stated simply. For now he was nothing but a torso and head, but he knew that nothing would stop him from taking Talon down.


	7. Ruby Wu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet Ruby Wu, a cyberneticist, and Jack deals with a great amount of pain.

Ruby Wu was bouncy like a child in a candy shop, Jack decided. As she moved around the cot he could feel her presence, and he could smell her floral perfume. Her voice was high and bright, and she examined him with gentle touches, muttering all the while in Cantonese. She was never really still, hovering and humming along like a hummingbird. He could feel his cot and the floor shift when she hopped excitedly.

“So, I have a Mexican, a Peruvian, a Chinese, and a Mouse doing illegal medical care and stealing things to help me. You are an international girl squad focused on vengeance.”

’not a girl,’ Xombi chided softly.

“International ladies and a genderless undead squad focused on vengeance, sorry,” Jack apologized.

‘thank you.’

“Igaus,” Olivia muttered softly, trying to make an acronym. “Girls International, Ladies of Revenge...”

“I’m Greek,” Mouse said. “I just lived in Southampton most of my life. I did summer in Greece, though, my grandmother’s.” 

‘we really are an international girl crime gang,’ Xombi mused. ‘im a feral neurologist.’

“What makes you feral?” he asked.

Olivia knew Jack was nervous. He had seen what happened to Genji when he got his anchor plates, and was trying to calm himself down with chatter.

‘remember, im dead for tax reasons. Talon ‘killed,’ air quotes, me, and legally im dead. they took my research and have not been playing nice with it. i repaired a man, and he and i got my research back and emptied the Talon lab.’ 

Jack could hear tools tapping, chairs scuffling, and computers beeping as the women, and Xombi, worked. “We need a team name. Jackie’s Angels.”

‘i need to measure your thighs one last time,’ Xombi said, ignoring the statement. They liked working with Ruby. Not only was she highly intelligent, her cheerfulness balanced Xombi’s saltiness. They both found Olivia and Mouse pleasant company. Maybe a name for their group could be fun.

Jack could feel them taking measurements, and then huff. ‘im surprised they left so much thigh,’ Xombi mused as they made a note. They rolled back to their desk and assigned another synapse to the left thigh anchor plate. ‘thats a lot of meat.’

“My thighs are amazing and I’m insulted they didn’t want them,” Jack grumbled. He tried to flex his remaining thigh muscles, making his stumps wiggle.

‘thats six to eight kilos of meat,’ Xombi huffed after a moment of thought. ‘a lot to leave behind.’

“More like ten,” Ruby argued. “You use your legs a lot. Your thighs are huge! Your thighs are runner’s thighs.”

“They just ate my fingers raw,” Jack snorted. “I don’t think they bothered to cook my calves. I don’t think they had anything to cook with.”

“They’re crazed white cannibals living in the middle of the Mexican desert,” Olivia said, “They absolutely have cooking options. Stone oven, camp fire, a pit filled with coals and wrap stuff in tin foil, grilling, oh, Tío Gruñón, be glad! They could have grilled you!”

Jack scoffed. “Please, they’re crazed white cannibals living in the middle of the Mexican desert. What do they know about grilling?”

‘your legs are too tough to grill. you need marinating. lots of it.’ Xombi examined their work, but their mind wandered to their father’s grilling. Didn’t he marinate cheap meat? They couldn’t remember. ‘face it, youre dollar store meat, Jackie.’ They resolved to call their parents once this was over. Their father was a master griller, a man who hunted his own meat and butchered it in the back yard, and their mother made excellent brines and marinades. They would know how to prepare Jack, and Xombi suddenly wondered if that was a conversation her parents would want to have.

“We’ll tenderize,” Jack said flippantly.

“Well, they had a tire iron, but that would have taken forever.” Olivia checked her programming against Xombi’s notes. “OK, looks like the neural sync is ready. Sorry, Tío Gruñón, you’re not a prime cut. Not like Ruby there.” Olivia poked Ruby in a plump thigh, and Ruby yelped and pulled back. “Nice and marbled.”

She hissed in Cantonese and poked back, and she and Olivia started a poke fight. “At least I’m worth a lot on the Japanese meat market! You’re so small and skinny, we need to wrap you in bacon!” Ruby suddenly paused and looked up. “What if we quick fried him? Some peanut oil, grilled veggies, hey, what DOES a man taste like? Think we could get a lot for him?”

Xombi looked down to their underdeveloped legs and shrugged. ‘i dont think im worth a lot of money. Ruby, i think youre the only one worth any money here.’

“My two orders of peanut noodles a day and I thank you!” she chirped happily, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “OK, my simulations show everything is good to go, we can start when you’re ready.” She ran her hands along her perfectly marbled hips. “If this works, I might sell my own thighs, make some bank, get new cyber-thighs...”

“Is this, is,” Mouse asked, and paused. “Is this a good conversation?”

Jack couldn’t see it, but she was a little green.

‘yeah, it is,’ Xombi said and pulled out some more solder. ‘ill be done in just a moment.’

“Otherwise we’re wasting ten kilos of barely passable meat,” Olivia said.

“I am more than barely passable!” Jack protested.

“I’m just, I’m gonna go check on the latest order.” Mouse got up and moved away.

“Should we tell her there’s pork stew in the slow cooker?” Olivia asked, and the others started laughing. 

Jack hadn’t been sure he would feel better after joking with such dark humor, but he felt a few pounds lift from his chest and he could breathe a little easier.

“OK, we’re ready,” Ruby said as she finished her work. 

Jack sat silently, controlling his breathing, knowing hell awaited him. He heard them preparing things, and Olivia narrated quietly.

“And that’s a massive swing of the hips by Ruby, nicely done, she’s got her chair under the desk in one try. Well played.” She kept her voice calm like a golf commentator and produced some polite clapping. “Xombi moves with the grace of an aging white man trying to keep up with his hot, young, Latino caddy. And there’s the glare that made them famous, oh, we have Mouse moving equipment into place. Wait, she fumbled a pen, that’s a five point penalty.”

Jack grinned a little. 

“The old man’s taking it like a champ, and here comes Ruby. She and Xombi have their medical gear on, but Xombi’s is black, tut tut, that’s a non-regulation and a ten point penalty.”

“OK, Jack, are you ready?” Rub asked gently. “We, we can’t sedate you.” Not only would sedation be dangerous for him, they needed to know if they were actually doing what they were supposed to be doing.

“I know,” Jack said, thinking back to Shimada. “You have to make sure the nerves are lined up properly, and the only way to do that is to poke them.”

Once, Shimada had lost what remained of his leg on a mission. He needed a new anchor plate, and Reinhardt had to lay on him and hold him still while Angela installed it. Even though his limbs had been shut down, he still writhed and tossed about, trying everything in his power to escape the agony. He had only calmed down once he realized Reinhardt was crying, his powerful heart full of love and compassion.

Jack missed Reinhardt. 

Reinhardt would have been able to hold Jack down and keep him both safe and comforted.

He opened his mouth and let Olivia put the mouth guard in, and felt her kiss his temple. He felt the straps that kept him from rolling off his cot tighten, and realized Olivia had placed a helmet on his head. He was padded, and there was little chance he would hurt himself now.

‘kisses, while magical, are not sterile.’ There was movement, and the scrape of a chair. ‘sterilization field in place. Jack?’

“These things tingle,” he was able to mutter around the mouth guard. “Green.”

‘preparing first anchor.’ They handed Ruby the first anchor plate, and Jack took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry, Jack,” Ruby said softly and prepared the machine. “It will be over soon.”

It quickly bored through Jack’s skin, uncapping what was left of his thigh bone and hollowing three inches out. The suction pulled apart the dead nanites and flesh, recapping the bone and anchoring the plate to his thighbone before he could even try to flinch away.

The smell of hidden pocket of infection alone made him want to vomit.

He couldn’t scream long enough, he couldn't scream loud enough, he couldn’t scream at all.

Everything was on fire, and everything was frozen, and he swore he saw a white light.

He heard a voice speaking softly, and a hand on his forehead. 

“Healing factor kicking in,” Ruby said quietly in amazement. “Synapsys connected, splicing wetware to hardware.”

‘this is moving almost too smoothly.’ Xombi checked their notes. ‘the healing factor. its kicking in stronger than expected.'

“I’m no expert, but,” Mouse said softly, “since the nanites are gone?” She was on Jack’s left, holding his shoulder as if she holding his hand.

Olivia and Mouses’ physical contact kept him tethered, let him know he could do this. Jack stopped screaming.

“She’s got a point, there’s nothing holding the factor back anymore,” Ruby said in agreement. “Jack, we’re going to touch nerves now. You don’t have to say anything, just, you know scream.”

“Been getting good at that,” he noted in a dreamlike voice. “Good to go.”

He let out a string of curses and heard Olivia squeak in surprised.

‘ah, good, that one connected well,’ Xombi mused. ‘and this one is not. Sorry, Jack.’

Jack could actually feel movement, and then he screamed. 

“Just... get it done...” he panted. He felt Olivia’s hand on his forehead and screamed again.

\---------------------

After the left thigh anchor plate, Jack felt numb and tired. They cleaned him up from when he wet himself, took a brief rest, then prepped him for the other side.

The right thigh anchor plant went just as well, but at least he didn’t piss his pants again. There was no hidden pocket of infection, so things went smoother. When it was over he lay back, almost sobbing, Olivia and Mouse comforting him. 

“We’ll get the arms on the day after tomorrow, OK?” Ruby asked, exhaustion in her voice. “We all need a rest day.”

“No, we can, I’m good,” he gasped, voice even more raw than usual. “We can go. We can go.”

‘this has taken almost six hours,’ Xombi said quietly. 

“Wow, I wish UN meetings went by that fast!” Jack croaked, and felt his second wind flee. He tried to speak, but nothing came out.

“You’ll be OK, Tío Gruñón,” Olivia said softly. “You’ll be OK.” She spoke soothing words in soft Spanish, and Jack passed out.


	8. When he woke up, someone was feeding him baby food.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When he woke up, someone was feeding him baby food.

When he woke up, someone was feeding him baby food.

“Enough! Carrots!” he snapped and spat.

Olivia scolded him rapidly, then wrapped her arms around his chest. “Sorry, it’s the last of the carrots! Xombi wanted to get some vitamins in you!”

‘what is your grief with carrots?’ Xombi muttered from their desk. ‘they are amazing.’

“They’re gross and I’m not eating them.” He pursed his lips and Olivia sighed.

‘fine, fine, lets get some sweet potatoes.’

“I can do that,” Jack said, suddenly perking up. Sweet potatoes reminded him of camping with his brothers Joel and Jacob, splitting and roasting wild sweet potatoes over a campfire. They were his Aunt Kelly’s sweet potato pies, they were the prelude to Christmas.

‘i brought these with me from Peru. they were going to be a treat for when we were done, but i think youve earned them today.’

“I agree,” Jack stated flatly. “But no more carrots. How about leafy greens, or peas, or apricots.” He suddenly paused. When did he learn which foods were rich in vitamin A? His brain was full of holes, so he wasn’t surprised he didn’t remember. “Dark leafy greens, must be dark. Spinach. Kale. Swiss chard. Can I get some ful?” He was surprisingly ravenous and giddy after yesterday’s torture.

“I’ll go shopping,” Mouse said and stretched, popping her back. “It might be fava beans, though. I got them last time when I couldn’t find ful.”

Jack couldn’t wait to pop his back. He might be able to by the end of the week, and he wiggled his hips in anticipation. 

“Fava beans _ are _ ful, Conchilla” Olivia said as she scribbled some things on a list.

“Oh.” Mouse paused, momentarily broken. “Thaaaat does cut my shopping list down a little,” Mouse admitted. “So, I’ll get the marinara, and the red sauce, and the calamari, and the squid,” she said, counting each item on her fingers.

Xombi handed Mouse a list. ‘here, wait, arent you a supply specialist? how do you forget ful are fava beans?’

“Why did you have a suitcase full of sweet potatoes? They’re African yams, not potatoes!” Mouse countered.

‘thats fair. get a few of each type of potato they have.’

Mouse nodded. “I’ll do my best. When are you doing the arm plates? I don’t want to interrupt.”

“Tomorrow. We need to let Jack rest,” Ruby noted. “We’ve got Olivia, you can stay away if you want.”

“I’m really sorry,” Mouse said quietly. 

“It’s OK,” Jack said in a gentle tone. “I know it’s hard. I don’t know how Ruby and Xombi handle me screaming on a regular basis!”

‘i am a growler and guitarist in a black metal band, im used to it,” Xombi said, a flippant tilt in their voice. ‘former growler, at least. now i hiss and mumble.’

“How did you lose your voice?” Olivia asked. “I’ve always been curious. Was it in the attack?”

‘nope. got a nasty virus, got an infection, screamed anyways, now i have the perfect voice for horror movie commentary. the Talon attack is what left me with muscular damage below my waist. needed adult diapers for a while.

“I had to know you for three years before you told me any of that!” Ruby scolded. “And here Jack’s got your tragic backstory!”

‘lack of internal organs kind of bonds people together,’ Xombi said.

“Ah, that’s a good point. Mouse, it should take about six hours again. You can go see a movie!” Ruby urged. “I’ll get the yams in the oven.”

  
  


\---------------------

  
  


The next day, Mouse beat a hasty retreat. “I’ll be back,” she promised, grabbed her hat, and bolted out the side door.

Jack opened his mouth and let Olivia put a new mouth-guard back in. It was a good thing she accidentally ordered a full dozen, since he had gone through three of them yesterday.

‘sterilization field ready,’ Xombi said, and Jack bit down.

He kept from screaming when the anchor plate application device drilled into him, but it didn’t last long.  



	9. Chapter 9

“OK, so, can we bypass the node lock?” Ruby was asking when Jack woke up.

At least no one was feeding him baby food again. He did, however, smell peanut sauce. 

‘it will do nothing but cause resistance,’ Xombi sighed. ‘Olivia?’

“OK, look, I speak five languages, and shoddy Russian programming isn’t one of them. I’m not getting past this any time soon.” Olivia was crunching on something that smelled exciting and sharp.

“Are those habanero chips?” Jack managed to haul from his sore throat.

“Yes, and you can’t have any until your throat heals a little. Here, I’ll get you some water. Nice and spicy if you’re white!” Olivia said cheerfully. “I got that peach stuff you like so much.” 

He took several appreciative sips, then settled back down. “So what’s all this about Russian? I speak it.”

“Well, we’ve come across a problem. See, your legs,” Olivia said, “they were stolen from an American facility. But the arms came from overseas. Russia. They have some nasty antivirus on them, and they locked me out once we tried to test-sync them to the anchors.”

“So what are our options?” he asked.

‘Mouse is out scavenging up new arms. we do have a temporary solution, though.’ Xombi made their way over to Jack. ‘we give you a backpack.’

“I don’t have a lot of shoulder left, won’t do me much good,” Jack noted.

‘we have a simple frame, sassy ass. it wont link into your plates physically, but we can Bluetooth it.’

“Well, they will, but they’ll be controlled remotely, not through the plate,” Ruby explained.

“I’m getting cybernetic arms and they’re Bluetooth compatible.” Jack sat quietly for a few moments. He was awed and horrified by the thought of Bluetooth arms. “Did the plates come with Bluetooth?”

“Nope! That’s all me, Tío Gruñón!” Olivia chirped. “I’m installing it after we get your optical upgrade in!”

‘youll like this operation,” Xombi said quickly. ‘your brain has no pain receptors.’

“Is that normal?” he asked, and realized he felt one eyebrow raise. He was pleased he was getting so much fine muscle control back!

‘yes.’

“Somehow I’m not sure I believe you.”

‘you have had my fingers in your brain, Jack.’ Xombi checked their phone. ‘not even last week.’

“While true, I’m calling a friend. Ollie?” He heard her make the universal noise for “I don’t know,” and guessed she was shrugging. “Ruby?”

“It is true,” she said in a dry voice. “The hu-man brain has no pain re-cep-tors, oh quit looking at me like that!” Ruby suddenly burst into giggles. “The human brain doesn’t feel pain, Jack, you’ll be fine. I’m so excited to get in there and get my fingers wet!”

“You’re wearing gloves, missy moo,” Jack snapped suddenly. “There will be no grubby little fingers in my brain!”

“Oh, it’ll be fine!” Ruby said in an exaggerated tone. “It’s fine, it’s fiiiiine!”

“You’ll get peanut noodle sauce everywhere!” he scolded. “Those stains don’t come out of grey matter!”

“Like I would miss a lick of sauce. You can’t see me, but I am fantastically curvy.” She ran her hands along his hips. 

“That’s becoming your signature move,” Olivia noted. “I’ve got my exaggerated shrug, Xombi’s got that little head toss they do to keep their mohawk out of their face, and you do the ‘oh, my hips are sexy’ deal.” 

Jack nodded, finally able to do so. “Mine is to lay here and scream.” He rotated his neck. “When are we doing the implant?”

‘youre pretty excited,’ Xombi noted and prepared the surgical kit. ‘Olivia, can I get two fresh batteries for the sanitizing field and my box with the blue trim?”

“Oui, Mon Capitan!” Olvia said, and went to the corner with Xombi’s gear.

“It’s easy to look forward to something that won’t make me black out with pain.” Jack listened to Xombi setting up their gear. “I assume you don’t want me chattering for this one, either?”

‘yeah. moving your jaw affects the entire head. ill still need to have you talk to me, though.’ They took the box from Olivia and opened it. ‘here we go, a nice new visor, freshly stolen from SAVER labs!’ Their voice sounded so cheerful! ‘it has a ‘blink’ technology. who knew that something so simple as turning off a visor when you blinked could do so much for mental health?’

“SAVER?” Jack asked.

‘Society of American Veterans Experimental Rehabilitation. basically a hack shop for humans. they are not good people.’ They put the sealed container down. ‘Ruby?’

“Batteries are in, sterilization field is ready!” she chirped, and Jack heard tools being set down.

‘field is on, we are good to go. opening your brain, Jack.’

Jack let Xombi tilt his head, and then a sensation of chill. 

“OK, looks like the target area is nice and gooey, that’s good, Jack, very nice.” Ruby and Xombi exchanged a few words, and Jack recognised some of them. They spoke and carefully moved things in his head, and he took a deep breath.

‘you ok there?’ Xombi asked. ‘your breathing changed.’

“Did we hurt you?” Ruby asked at the same time.

“Just breathing. In. Hold. Out. Hold.” He repeated the exercise. He remembered hearing about cleansing breaths, when did he learn them? “Too much movement?”

“No, you keep breathing. You just scared us! We touched the sensors into place and you shuddered, that’s usually a bad sign.” Ruby was relieved they hadn’t screw his brain up.

‘get your rhythm, well work around you.’

Xombi and Ruby waited, then started their work again.

‘tell us when it flashes,’ Xombi said, and Jack nodded. ‘with your voice, not your head.’

“Sorry. Nervous. Flash. Happy to, flash, see again.” He blinked, but nothing changed. After a few moments he exhaled sharply. “White light. Very bright.”

Ruby sang something happily in Cantonese, then gave a delighted laughed. “It’s working, it’s working, we’re doing it!”

‘save the joy for the results, Ruby. Jack, turned your head, follow the light.’

Jack did so, blinking, and he suddenly realized he had eyelids. Closing his eyes did nothing to dim the light, and that disturbed him. He turned his head and heard Ruby jumping up and down and clapping her hands. 

“I want to close my eyes, it’s bright, it’s too bright.” The light dimmed and he sighed.

‘youre going to like this visor, its a step up from the last two models.’

“How long have I had eyelids?” he asked.

“Since I got here, but you’ve only blinked the last day or so,” Ruby said, musing. “Your face isn’t so slack, either. You don’t drool.”

‘removing the dead nanites freed up your healing factor, Mouse was right.’ 

Jack heard tools being moved. “Why didn’t you remove them earlier, then?” His voice was a little sharper that he meant it to be.

“Because if we removed them, your body would have healed TOO well and we would have missed our chance to put in proper anchor plates. See, the plate goes into bone, and the legs onto the plates. Otherwise, we would have had to use cup and socket, and those wouldn’t be suitable for you with your running, and jumping, and climbing on trees.”

‘do you remember the smell when we started, or did you luckily block it out?’ Xombi asked. 

“I almost vomited,” he admitted. He heard Ruby shudder.

‘yeah, that was dead cells and nanites. im trying to think of how to say this. imagine a wound covered in flies. once the flies leave, theyve cleaned the wound of dead flesh.’

“I actually ran across that during the Crisis,” Jack admitted. “It saved the man’s leg.”

‘well, same here. but different. the rot kept it from healing so we could plug you in to some of the finest stolen technology we could get our hands on.’ Xombi moved around his head to the other side.

“I know you’re anxious, but we need to wait for the swelling to go down before we can activate it,” Ruby said gently. “Besides, Ollie and Mouse wanted to be here, too!”

“We can wait,” Jack said with a nod. He didn’t want to, but he didn’t want to deny two of the people taking care of him an important step like this. He felt the top of his head again, and realized he was closed up. “How will you know the swelling is done if you shut the lid?”

‘we can check in an hour. i dont want you open, despite the sanitation field.’ 

Jack could hear Xombi moving to a desk.

“You sound tired. More so than usual.”

‘standings long periods is a bit tiring. ill sit for a while, then Mouse and Ollie will be back and we can continue. were so close to finishing! this is some of my best work, and i cant even publish it!’ Xombi gave a huffing sigh. 

“You’re legally dead, anyways. The neural net, it works so well, I wonder if we can somehow make one without taking it from an omnic?” Ruby said as she pulled out some water bottles. “You need a drink, Jack?”

“Please. How did you get a neural net anyways? I know omnic rights are different in different countries, but that seems a bit, you know, organ stealing-y.”

There was silence, and Xombi collected themselves. ‘i knew her. she and her brother Chestnut were traveling, and i let them stay in the garage. its a nice garage.’

Xombi was quiet for almost a minute.

‘she put herself between over a dozen gang members and some little girls they were trafficking. she was amazing, but, she, she didn't make it.’

Jack realized the strange huffing was Xombi crying. “You loved her?” he guessed.

‘i did.’ Xombi blew their nose on Ruby’s offering napkin. ‘i did. her last words were ‘let me help him.’ she was made of love, she had said before, filled with light. she knew she was going to die, she heard me talk about you, she gave herself to you.’

“I can’t thank her enough,” Jack said quietly. “You need a hug, it’s just my head, but it’s better than nothing.”

‘i dont need your head,’ she said quietly, then laughed like a twelve year old. ‘thank you, though. i will, however, cart around the wizard for a while.’

“Don’t!” Jack and Ruby said at once. “That’s a load bearing wizard,” Jack added.

‘Ruby, i cant believe that you fall for that silly little routine.’ It was hard to tell if Xombie was mocking or not.

“I, kinda do, and I don’t, but it works, and I haven’t proven it doesn’t work, so, I’ll just act as it does until it proves itself otherwise!” she explained. “I’m going to get some lunch ready, you two want anything?”

Xombi, of course, nixed Jack’s request for steak.


	10. Vision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Old soldier, old soldier, what do you see?

Jack could feel them hovering around him, anxious to see if it worked.

“OK, I’m turning on the visor now,” Ruby said quietly. “Are you ready?” The ladies were ready, having rushed over once Ruby said the swelling was down.

“Yeah, I’m ready.” Jack knew he wasn’t ready.

Everything went white.

As his pain cleared and hearing returned, his sight settled. He ‘blinked’ a few times, and that seemed to help. As everything came into focus he examined the face before him. “Hey, Ollie,” he said softly, Olivia’s brown face and purple hair come into focus. “Good to see you, kiddo. Like the hair.”

She was wearing her brown and purple hair out of her face, held in a bun with a pair of hair sticks topped with sugar skulls. Olivia clasped her hands in front of her chin, face bright, and Jack looked to the left.

A Chinese woman hovered over him, nervously holding a tablet. “You must be Ruby Wu.” He could barely make out her green scrubs a first, but his sight focused and he could make out the lotus blossoms printed on them.

She was soft and round with some form of cybernetic glove over her left hand, and he could make out the withered hand underneath. Her left arm had several gold relays and leads that wound up her arm and along her neck, reaching into her temple. Her left eye shimmered with cybernetic enhancement, and a glimmer worked its way from her hand to her temple as her hand moved. He wondered if her hand was injured when her husband was murdered, but didn’t ask.

Ruby nodded, grinning. “It’s working, oh it’s working!” She quickly swiped at the tablet, checking settings, and Jack looked to the right.

“Hey, Mouse, new haircut? It was a bob last time I saw it.”

“I haven’t had a bob in over a year!” she insisted, but her voice was bright. Her hair was exceptionally short, and she wore a barrette shaped like a paperclip to keep her bangs out of her face. “I’m growing it out again.” She wore ancient cargo pants and a shirt for a band he didn't recognise, and he could easily make out her buff arms and solid form. She had changed a lot from the tiny, wiry Mouse she had been two years ago.

Jack then turned to the other side, and blinked. “Holy shit, you’re tall!” he hissed in awe.

Unlike the others who bent over him, Xombi stood straight and tall. They were almost a head taller than Olivia, with light brown skin, black biotic eyes with golden pupils, and a mohawk streaked in several shades of gray. The sides of their head were shaved with a pattern of straight lines, and their body was long and lanky. 

‘hadnt noticed,’ they said wryly. They quickly pulled one of Olivia’s hair sticks out, letting her hair purple hair fall to cover her undercut, and held the stick in front of Jack’s face. ‘follow, please.’ Their forearm crutches had a hinge that let the crutch hang down so they wouldn’t clock Mouse in the face, but Jack had the sinking suspicion that Xombi was perfectly fine smacking someone with them.

Jack turned his head, following the little candy skull. “It’s good to see again. Thank you.” He blinked, and blinked again. “I can blink?”

‘like i said, top of the line,’ Xombi smirked. Their face was stoney and their expression was subtle, a side effect, Jack reasoned, from the Talon attack that crippled them. ‘good for mental health.’

“We do what we can!” Ruby said happily. “Oh, this is so exciting! I’ve never seen anyone adapt so quickly!” She quickly and eagerly started taking notes.

“I think it’s her,” Jack said quietly.

“Who?” Olivia asked.

“Buddleia. Her neural net.”

They stood quietly for a moment, and Xombi reached out and gently touched Jack’s temple, and Jack let her. ‘come on, then, lets get your limbs on. arms first.’

They leaned him forward, and Xombi and Mouse fussed, trying to get Jack into a padded vest. “Mouse, have you been the one mainly moving me? You’re buff.”

“Yeah, Ruby does some of the moving, but, no, no, turn it this way, there, I’ve been moving you.” She and Xombi got the vest strapped on, then pulled out some slender arms. 

‘these are just spare parts, with a factory neural net in them. theyre designed to be plug-and-play. 

“Like a printer!” Ruby grinned, “but arms! OK, when you put your limbs off and on, you need to turn the visor off.”

‘you need to use the Safely Remove Hardware icon and eject your device before unplugging it,’ Xombi muttered. ‘its one of those things that you dont need to do, but should, just in case.’

“Got it.” Xombie walked him through the basic controls, explaining which part to rotate and press, powered the visor down. “Ready.”

He felt the clank as the customer base snapped into place on his anchor plates, and they were a sudden stinging. It was over quickly, though, and he looked up. “Can I turn the visor back on?” he asked, and suddenly something smacked him in the face.

“Oh, new arms and the first thing you do is almost break your nose, Tío Gruñón!” Olivia hissed. “Here, let me. I’m turning it on, watch your eyes.”

The world lit up, and Jack inhaled. 

Xombi and Ruby were making opening and closing motions with her hands.

Jack focused, and the arms lifted up. He opened and closed the hands, rippled his fingers, and flicked his hands over to check on them. “I have hands!” he exclaimed brightly, and made a gathering motion. 

Olivia quickly leaned in for a hug.

He didn’t squeeze tight, but it was a hug. “I have arms,” Jack said quietly, and Olivia hugged him back.

“Once we get you some good arms, you’re going to be SO GOOD at hugging!” Ruby giggled. 

“I have to wait a few days to line something up,” Mouse admitted. “But, Sunday, I should have finalized a lead. Someone’s noticed a trend in what I’ve been after-”

“Arms dealer,” Jack interrupted. “You’re my arms dealer.”

There was an exasperated silence, and Jack finally laughed. It felt good to make such a crappy joke, and it felt good to laugh without pain. "So, these are just a placeholder?" he asked, clearing the air. "I want tentacles."

'ill see what i can do.' Xombi said as there was a knock at the door.

The change in the room was instant. Olivia quickly reached under the desk for her machine pistol, Ruby pulled a handgun from her purse, Mouse quickly shoved the couch aside for her shotgun, and Xombi used their crutches to slide their chair across the floor so it was in front of Jack.

“I’m here,” a familiar voice came from the other side of the door. They all relaxed at once as they recognized who was there.

“Get inside!” Olivia snapped in relief. 


	11. Baby Steps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An old friend shows up, and Jack takes his first steps.

Ana Amari opened the door and stepped inside, almost dropped her grocery bags, then sloppily shoved them on a desk and ran to Jack. She babbled happily in Arabic as they hugged, then she stopped and pulled back. “Oh, you idiot boy!” she managed to choke out. “Oh, look at you!”

“Hey, scary lady,” Jack said with a grin. “You’re late. You missed all the gross parts.”

“I was busy saving Egypt from civil war!” she chided. “Oh, look at you, you look horrible!”

“Thanks, appreciate that, hey, lift my visor, wanna see my placeholder eyes?” he said, and blinked as Ana lifted it. It took him a few tries to get both eyes open at the same time.

“You are an immature child, Morrison,” Ana sighed and Jack put the visor back down.

Ruby dropped her water bottle, and Mouse slowly stood up.

“Jack Morrison?” Ruby asked carefully.

‘John Francis Morrison?’ Xombi asked in a similar, but quieter, tone.

“You didn’t tell them?” Ana asked, and turned to Olivia.

Olivia made a nervous noise and shrugged. “I, well, he’s kinda dead.”

“The Strike-Commander?” Mouse asked in awe. “But, how?”

Jack was silent for a moment. “Easier to be dead after everything.” He shrugged, finally able to. “I got hauled from the rubble, they thought I was someone else, face was pretty swollen, and then Ollie here helped me pretend. I’ve been trying to find out what happened, and why, every since.”

“The why is because Talon couldn’t control you!” Mouse snapped. “They embarrass, dismantle, destroy, or kill anyone they can’t control.” 

Xombi put their hand on Mouse’s shoulder, and Mouse gripped their fingers. ‘i can appreciate that. come on, up, we need to get you walking. Ana, be an able bodied person and help Mouse, i can't support him. used to, before Talon.’

“Here, grab a leg,” Mouse said, and Ana picked up a limb. “All we have to do is hold it up to the plate, then Jack will, God damn, Jack Morrison! And Jack has to think, “Leg stick on,” or something. Ruby, what do you do to activate your shell?”

Ruby looked at the cybernetic shell over her ruined hand. “I think, it’s from an old cartoon, ‘Armor of the Gods, Shine’ and pretend it’s Yifang’s Shining Armor. It helps to have something like that, something distinctive.” She pulled out her tablet to supervise. “OK, visor off.”

“Could you get it? I don’t want to hit my face again.” 

Mouse nodded and carefully twisted something, and Jack’s vision dimmed.

“Go go gadget legs!” Jack chanted to himself and felt his legs vibrating. After a moment it was over, and he took a deep breath. “After everything, that wasn’t hard at all!” He leaned forward, and Mouse and Ana helped him swing his new legs off the cot. He looked down, and examined his new limbs. “You are right, Ollie, these are ugly.” 

They were just as she described, an ugly burned orange color and grey carbon fiber, but they fit. He sat there for a moment, swinging his legs, making the ankle twitch, and he nodded. “OK, I need to walk. I can’t believe I’ve been laying down for three months!”

“Wouldn’t be possible without your healing factor,” Ana said. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here, habibi. I had so much work to do!”

“I should have been there to help,” he said quietly. “But, I would have done something stupid and you would have shot me with a tranq.”

“Maybe, maybe, come, now, let’s get you standing.” 

Ana and Mouse tucked themselves under Jack’s armpits and helped him stand.

He wobbled, and swayed, and gasped, but after a few moments he caught his balance. “So long as this doesn’t take forever, it shouldn’t take long,” he muttered. He felt it wasn’t a smart thing to say, but it was something. “OK, one step. One step.”

Jack had never realized just how simple walking was, and that for something so simple, it was almost impossible. Ana and Mouse stood at either side of him, supporting him, and he swung one leg forward.

He rested his weight, and took a deep breath. 

Olivia looked up at him, hope and fear on her face, holding a pillow to catch his face if he fell.

“Just, another step.” Jack swung his left thigh forward, and he could feel the prosthetic leg open and move forward. His foot adjusted to the ground and he leaned forward, and brought his right leg forward.

Lean, swing, land. 

Lean, swing, land. 

Lean, swing, land. 

A few more steps and he paused, breathless. He turned his head as well as he could to look behind him.

It was only five feet, but it felt like a mile. 

Still, it was progress. He turned to the ladies, and he couldn’t help but grin. “Not bad for someone with no legs,” he smirked, and the three shuffled and moved around each other in an attempt to turn him around. 

“We’ll get you dancing in no time!” Mouse said brightly.

“This man could never dance!” Ana scoffed. “Can’t even keep a rhythm!”

“But there were all these clips of you dancing at galas and events and stuff!” Olivia insisted.

“Those were carefully practiced and cleverly edited for television,” Jack sighed. “And the really good stuff was my body double, Ben.” He was suddenly out of breath and he had only walked ten feet! “I get to eat at the dinner table tonight, right?”

“The big kid’s table, even” Mouse said, and they aimed for the couch.

The old lab they were in was one giant work space, with several scattered desks and tables. Jack’s cot had been placed on a lowered workstation, strapped down to keep him from rolling. He was near the kitchenette for easy sink access.

The couches were some cheap second hand things, but were nice enough. Mouse and Ruby had struggled to hold one up so Olivia could shove a pallet or two under it to raise it up for Xombi. Jack recalled how it was easier for his his nana to get in and out of a raised seat, and figured it was the same for Xombi.

It took a few moments for him to lower himself to the cushion, and he sighed in relief at the softness. 

“No. More. Cot.” His body was sore and bruised from it, and he wiggled his butt. “Ever.” He had been laying at a thirty degree angle for months, and despite Mouse’s best efforts to keep him rotated and adjusted, he developed bed sores. Sitting up with his new arms slung over the back of the couch stretched different muscles and made different pressure points.

“We don’t have beds,” Olivia admitted timidly. “I’ve got an air mattress under a desk, Xombi’s got the couch, Ruby’s taking the other one.”

“Tell you what,” Mouse said and stood up, “I’ll go steal a bed. Maybe a futon. Something from Ikea.”

‘putting it together would help with your hand-eye coordination,’ Xombi noted and dropped onto the couch. They smacked their braces with their crutches and let their legs bend. ‘so. how are you feeling?’

“I’m not sure,” Jack said after a moment. “This isn’t my body. It moves when I ask it to, but it’s not mine.” He suddenly understood Shimada Genji. He knew that Genji would sometimes fly into a rage when he couldn’t pick up a cup or hold a pen, but now Jack understood it so much better. He could understand the rage, the self hate, and why he would spend some days just sitting on the edge of his bed, brooding. 

Unlike Genji, though, he was open to therapy. Just not right now.

“I’m going to get dinner started!” Olivia said. “We also don’t have a dinner table. We just sort of eat where we are.”

“We really are feral,” Ruby said with a sigh. “Rouge neurologists and scavengers, the lot of us. No civility in us at all. I’m just glad we have a shower!”

The room was suddenly tired. After four months of work and worry, Jack was awake and walking around. The lack of stress created an emotional vacuum that exhausted them.

“Actually, I’m just gonna go hit that taco truck down the street. Just get about a thousand pesos worth of food.” Olivia pulled an old beanie on and an over sized jacket, and grabbed a reusable shopping bag. “Requests?” People commented random things, and she ignored them as she walked out the door.

“I’m going to find some beds. Should have done this a while ago.” Mouse pulled her boots on and grabbed her flannel to tie around her waist. It was still bright out, but if she was gone before the sun went down she would regret not bringing it. She quickly slipped outside, using the side door.

Xombi leaned their head back on the couch. ‘now that im not going to be in your brain all the time, i can finally get my mohawk sprayed into place!’ they grinned. ‘i feel so bare without it.’

“Like a peacock’s tail,” Ana mused from the other side of Jack.

“Or a chainsaw,” he mused, and Xombi huffed a laugh.

‘tonight well help you with your first real bath.’ They remembered their first true bath after their body was healed enough to do so. A long soak, scented candles, a bowl of fresh ceviche, and some Inca Cola had completed their night. ‘no poop sack, either.’

“God, no more poop sack,” Jack agreed. His waste removal system had been removed last week, and he was quickly learning to regulate himself again. There were certain aspects of being a head and a torso he would not miss. Which was all of it.

‘your real diet is going well enough, i think you can have steak soon.’ Xombi pulled out their tablet and checked a few things. They were pleased that Jack’s biometrics we were within normal range.

“FINALLY!” he grunted, and sighed.

They sat there for a while, just enjoying the silence, and Jack enjoying the fact he was sitting up on his own.

“You’re so positive about all this,” Ana said quietly.

“For Ollie.” He nodded his head. “And, for me. If I stop, I might not start again.”

‘taking it better than i did,’ Xombi said with a nod. 

“Guys?” Ruby asked from across the room. She had been watching the news on her tablet. “You should see this.”

She made a few swipes and the large holo-screen turned on. Chanel Eight played last night’s news during today’s lunch, and Sofía Andrade was talking about a strange illness. Ruby had the Chinese subtitles on, and she layered the English over them.

Jack didn’t tell her he didn’t need them.

“Victims of the strange illness were found to ‘slowly turn to stone,’” Sofía Andrade announced. “Please be advised that the following images may be too much for younger viewers.”

Jack ignored the official opinion of medical specialists, government officials, and ufologists as he looked at pictures of people with graying fingers, and images that called to mind third degree burns and fatal frostbite. One poor soul’s fingers were dissolving into dust as the blight spread up their arm.

“Nanite poisoning,” Ana said softly.

Jack nodded. “Reaper.” He took a deep breath. “We’ve got work to do, ladies and ghoul.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to end this on a cliff hanger.  
Actually, I'm not.  
But unlike some of my other works, this one will be finished!  
I promise.


End file.
